2011 Grammy Nominees Announced!

Wednesday night, the recording industry and all of America were abuzz with pageantry and promise as the 2011 Grammy Nominations were announced at the Grammy Nominations Concert at Club Nokia in downtown Los Angeles. We were there and were treated to live performances by [lastfm]Miranda Lambert[/lastfm], [lastfm]B.o.B[/lastfm], [lastfm]Justin Bieber[/lastfm], [lastfm]Train[/lastfm], and [lastfm]Katy Perry[/lastfm], with [lastfm]LL Cool J[/lastfm] hosting the event.

[lastfm]Eminem[/lastfm] led the pack with 10 nominations, [lastfm]Bruno Mars[/lastfm] got seven, and [lastfm]Lady Antebellum[/lastfm], [lastfm]Jay-Z[/lastfm], and [lastfm]Lady Gaga[/lastfm] picked up 6 nods each, but that’s only part of the story.

The night started off with Katy Perry serenading the crowd with her hit “California Gurls.” The pop goddess rocked a silver outfit complete with wild/festive/shiny headgear. While the bit was pre-recorded, the performance was still amazing. The song made *spoiler alert* her later nomination all the more sweet. LL Cool J then kicked off the live show and threw it to Bruno Mars.

Mars, recently dogged by drug charges, made the crowd wonder when he donned a pair of sunglasses as he played an acoustic version of his hit “Just The Way You Are.” By the second verse, Mars’ fans were cheering, and he was one of the biggest hits of the night.

The Weirdest Presenter Couple of the Night Award goes to Selena Gomez and Foo Fighters’ member Dave Grohl. After Mars’ performance, they announced the nominees for Song of the Year (see below). The audience members weren’t the only folks who found Selena absolutely adorable. Grohl had his eye on the up-and-comer during the entire presentation.

Next, in another outdoor pre-recorded segment, Train rocked LA Live with the hit “Hey, Soul Sister.” Fans cheered while they watched the song which became huge this week after it was featured on Glee. Paramore’s Hayley Williams then took the stage and announced the nominees for Best New Artist. Paramore was a recent winner of the prize, and she welcomed the newest nominees to her very select club.

Justin Bieber and Miranda Lambert, respectively, performed two of the year’s biggest hits. Live from London, Bieber stopped dancing just long enough to sit down with an acoustic guitar for “Favorite Girl.” Lambert looked particularly beautiful while belting out “Only Prettier.” We’re not saying she was staring daggers at Katy Perry while she sang the song, but the girl was definitely in her eye-line.

Music legend Stevie Wonder announced the nominees for Album of the Year. He threw it LL Cool J who was in the audience with the one and only Katy Perry! It was a total surprise to the superfans in the mezzanine who fell over themselves (and almost over the rail) to get a picture of their idol. It’s a small price to pay to be close to celebrity. Before there were any casualties, Bruno Mars returned to the stage (sans glasses) and performed “Nothin’ On You” with B.o.B. A group of tweenagers in the nosebleed section screamed their love for B.o.B. so loudly they drowned him out. Never underestimate the power of young girls’ lungs.

Beloved CBS late night host, Craig Ferguson then took to the stage and announced the nominees for Best Female Country Performer. Good thing Miranda Lambert was nominated. It would have been really awkward if she was just silently weeping when they panned to her. Although, LL Cool J is so amazing he would have been able to comfort her if she lost her nomination to her (fictional) rival Gwyneth Paltrow.

The night ended with LL Cool J announcing Record of the Year nominees. For a song with such a racy title, Cee-Lo’s “Album Commonly Referred to As Forget You” hit a nerve with the voters and was up for numerous awards including Record of the Year. (Your mom will not be pleased when she finds out the actual lyrics.) Just before the show closed with a rousing set by B.o.B., LL Cool J had a moment with an ecstatic Cee-Lo who could barely keep in his excitement and expletives over his nominations.

The evening was amazing. The stars were huge. The performances were epic. Now, we bring you your Grammy nominees!